Customer Reviews

Society's Child: Verve Recordings

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These songs were the anthems of my late teens. Janis Ian captured (better than any other artist I'm aware of) the awkwardness, the waywardness and the isolation of mid-teen existence. She was also an incedible chronicler of the social changes that came about in the mid to late 60's. "Society's Child" had every bit as big an impact as the book and movie, "Black Like Me." For anyone who has experienced or is experiencing the pangs of growing up and of coming to terms with his/her burgeoning identity, I would wholeheartedly recommend this collection. The Verve years were her most productive. She was 14 when she signed with the label and she was in every sense of the word, a prodigy. I don't know if I could have gotten through some of the darker periods of my teenage years without her. Thank you wherever you might be now, Janis. You touched my soul with yours. Your lyrics kept me sane. Your music left an indelible impression on my heart. As far as folk artists of the period are concerned, she is in the front ranks with Ritchie Havens, Tim Buckley, Phil Ochs and Tim Hardin.

Among the very few artists who've had three act careers, Ian's story is one of the most satisfying double comebacks. This 2-CD set chronicles the first flush of her fame, when she signed with Verve as a teenage singer-songwriter prodigy. Just 15 when she recorded her debut album, featuring the (then) highly controversial single "Society's Child," Ian was soon drawn into a swirl of three albums in three years and quick burnout. A few more albums in the early 70s showed improving craft, but little commercial success. Her first comeback was the platinum selling "Between the Lines," which introduced her deeply introspective lyrics to a new generation of listeners, and after a few more albums, a second lull. She emerged for a third time in the early 90s, and continues to write and record to this day.

These earliest works are a piece with her famous song of interracial relationships, tackling angst-ridden topics with the sort of directness that recent artists like Alanis Morisette, Jewel and Fiona Apple are credited with introducing into the pop mainstream; perhaps the mainstream simply wasn't ready for their introduction in the mid-to-late '60s. Ian's songs confront a range of hot-button topics, including teen prostitution ("Pro-Girl"), social protest, religion, and a multitude of adolescent pains. Though at times the music seems to ape the surrounding folk-rock boom (but then, with Dylan exerting such a heavy influence, who didn't have this problem?), the clarity with which Ian translated her thoughts to lyrics makes each of these songs an emotional time capsule.

Surprisingly, the early albums were produced by Shangri-Las mastermind, Shadow Morton. The histrionics he infused in the Shangri-Las productions weren't needed to underline Ian's naturally dramatic songs, and so he mixed acoustic guitar accompaniments with light folk-rock sounds from ace studio musicians. Even when the backings ventured into light psychedelia, blues-rock or baroque orchestrals, they never overwhelmed Ian's words, and though the production can sound dated, it never distracts from the visceral nature of the lyrics.

This double-CD collects everything from Ian's four Verve albums except the track "Snowbird" from her last LP, "Who Really Cares." The limit of the CD medium required one song to be dropped, and this is the one that Ian herself selected. Detailed liner notes, with generous quotes from Ian, tell her story of these early recordings from the inside. [©2005 hyperbolium dot com]

While it is likely that only hardcore Janis Ian fans will enjoy this four-album collection from start to finish, nearly any fan of the late 60's folk/rock sound will enjoy a good portion of its songs. To say that Society's Child is the only good song on this set is way off the mark. The remainder of Ian's first album, "Janis Ian," also appears here, and it remains a notable work of the period. True, there are a number of too-angst-ridden, help-I'm-trapped-in-my-adolescent-neurosis songs here, too, mainly from the middle two albums, "The Secret Life of J. Eddy Fink" and "For All the Seasons of Your Mind." But Ian shines again on "Who Really Cares," the final album of her Verve contract and a finely crafted set of jazz-influenced folk/pop (her voice and writing had both ripened by that time--1969). A keeper for Ian fans. Also very nicely packaged, with lots of liner notes and an essay by the artist. These songs will probably never be released anywhere again (except for Society's Child, which pops up here and there), a good reason for Ian fans to add this to their collection.

Janis was indeed a baby when she made these albums and music of much more depth was to come later... The music is very interesting, especially considering how young she was! I myself like the double vocals, and everyone was copying the Beatles in those days..."Grape Masher"...isn't even on this, and was actually yanked from the vinyl LP before distribution. It's on the cover of some of the 1966 releases, but not on the actual disc. Every Janis Ian collector should have this CD Box set. The only dissapointment is that they omitted "Snowbird", from "Who Really Cares", which is a very cool song, and a lyric sheet would have been nice, because with teenage Janis' voice, it's harder to understand what she's saying sometimes. I especially like "Shady Acres", "What Do You Think of the Dead?" (Beatles? yes!) and "Mistaken Identity". One of my favorite Janis Ian lines of all times is on "Lover Be Kindly" ... What 15 year old thinks of this brilliant stuff? "Insanity Comes Quietly to the Structured Mind" has been called a masterpiece by critics many times over. It brings me back to those wonderful, playful days of yesteryear when every teenage girl wrote poetry and thought that being crazy, and committing suicide was cool! It certainly kept my mother worried, and after all, isn't that a teenagers job?

Janis' first four albums are very enjoyable. The first one and the fourth one the most so for me. In fact, her final album for Verve, entitled Who Really Cares, is amazing. Yet it wasn't bought in huge quantities at the time. It's a preface to how she would grow as both a singer and a writer. Her voice is less shrill, the songs are more sensual and show a jazz and soul influence, and the production - courtesy of Charlie Calello who produced two Laura Nyro albums - is fabulously rich and excited. The string and horn arrangements are like the equivolent of the limes or olives in a cocktail.

This was my first Janis Ian album, purchased mostly because I remembered Society's Child from my youth and enjoyed listen to the samples. I've little by little become quite a Janis fan and now own most of her albums. It is such a pleasant surprise to find an artist who is a great musical talent as well as being a fine lyricist too. My suggestion -- listen to the words and enjoy the melodies. I think you too could become a Janis fan. Check out www.amazon.com/shops/singingstylus for great service and rare Janis products.

It's an extraordinarily specific sound - that baroque folkrock, circa '68, found on Joan Baez's Joan and Phil Ochs' Pleasures of the Harbor. String quartets, fuzzy guitar, untempered harpsichord, studio ace drums, jazzy piano and lots of psychedelic cheap effects. You either dig it, or you don't.

Standouts include "Sea And Sand" (grandiose soul), "And I Did Ma" (Freudian cabaret), "Honey D'Ya Think" (Dylanesque polemics), "Insanity Comes Quietly To The Structured Mind" (hallucinogenic jazz) and, of course, "Society's Child" (golden pop agiprop).

Lots of other tunes to ponderate. Ian, even young as sin (a favorite topic of hers, in the hedonistic spirit of the 60s), was a deep thinker and freespirited soul. A lovable personality with some zany sonic decorations. Enchanting thinking galore - like, beads and bellbottoms and (where's the italics?) liberation.

it is great and amazing that a young girl who drops out of high school, becomes one of the greatest singer/songwriters and have such ability to use her brains and talents at such a young age.shame on school teachers who will never have the degree janis possesses....a brain that is not programable.what an enjoyable piece of work this album is...too bad the record label used janis as a tax write off....god bless janis ian....and again thanks amazon for such great service...

Janis Ian was a child prodigy, her bio says she was reading at age 2. Janis at adolescent hung out at NY Folk centers, and was whirlwinded with the times of early '60s. Her first wide-eyed YES! was watching listening to '50's stallwarts like Dave Von Ronk, Rev. Gary Davis. Got a writing contract at 14! Recorded at 15! A RnR dream come true. Kinda.

Janis wrote a classic pop song," Society's Child", a daring lyric of white girl dating Black man. In 1965 this was scandulous. Radio stations refused to play it, DJs that did got fired. A year later, it seemed ok to play and "Society's Child" was big hit, maybe due to Leonard Bernstein having a TV special in which he was a sort of patron to Janis and gave his OKAY.

"Society's Child" will remain an important shout in Pop history, from the fine Shadow Morton production to its way dramatic organ ending.

The rest of this CD has bits and pieces from her '60's Lps. "Janis Ian", "For All Seasons of Your Mind", and " The Secret Life of J. Eddy Fink". It stands as a remnant of a place and time, somewhere between '60s Shangri LAs and '70s Carol King.

Note: J.Eddy Fink is Janis' real name!

Believe it, or not I've walked away with a different aspect of Janis Ian. She's very versatile, and talented. I was going to judge her on one song because I thought somehow the 45 would turn up on here. That 45 was the song "Society's Child". I bought it when I was 17, in the spring of 1985 when all my peers were into Prince, Michael Jackson, and Culture Club. It was only $1.00, so I figured why not? It got some airplay, but then one night I heard it on the radio, and all of a sudden it wasn't appealing to me anymore. The song as far as I can figure talks about a white girl wanting to date a black boy, and this was in 1967 that this was released. 1967 seemed to be the year that the books and rules all had to be rewritten, or reexploited take your pick. It's probably the only song in the key of B flat that I really don't like. For 20 years I had no idea why though, but I found out last night, and that's the last line in the song where she sings the chorus "I can't see you anymore..baby", and then she sings "I don't want to see you anymore baby". It just grabbed me, and would not let go as I feel that I have to ask Janis "What are your true feelings on interracial dating?" I know all day today I pictured a video of this song where the girl sings "I don't want to see you anymore..baby", and there's a guy who's looming over her in the background; probably her father, and he has that look in his eye "God I'm So Righteous." I guess with that thought, and why I hate the song "Society's Child" is because it reminds me all too well of the fact that I can be talked out of things rather easily too, and I don't need a song to remind me of that because I face it everyday when I look in the mirror at a guy who wants so bad to commit to an idea.. a moral, and not have it do 360 degrees when I first bring it to public knowledge, so Ms. Ian what were your opinions on interracial dating back in 1967? Anyway the rest of the album deserves a listen to see all the various influences she had. She straddled folk, jazz, country, pop, and rock very smoothly. Underrated it sounds like as I'm the only one here who wrote something about her. Perhaps it's because "Society's Child" hung in my head like a bunch of cobwebs, and wouldn't let go of me.